ALOR SETAR - A man was left in shock when he discovered that an object floating in a drain was his missing granddaughter, who had been swept away during a flood that struck their family home in Lorong Seri, Jalan Langgar, Kedah, on Thursday afternoon.
Mohd Hamidan Hashim, 38, said he immediately jumped into the drain to retrieve his granddaughter, Nur Aisha Misya Afifah Abdul Fattah, 2, and pulled her to the side, repeatedly calling her name.
"But my granddaughter did not respond at all. Her face was pale, and her lips had already turned blue,” he said when met at the Forensic Department of Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital (HSB) on Friday.
Hamidan said he was at work near Darulaman Stadium when his eldest daughter, Siti Nurfarhana Abdullah, 18, called to inform him that her child was missing and believed to have fallen into the drain.
"My daughter called me around 4.30pm. I rushed to the scene to search for her, but I could not find her as the water was very deep at that time.
"The villagers also helped to search for my granddaughter. Some tried to dive into the water, but no one could find her until her body surfaced at around 8pm last night,” he said.
Hamidan said that the floodwaters in the village were caused by the overflow of Kedah River, compounded by a high tide that occurred around 3pm on Thursday.
"When I received the call saying my granddaughter was missing, I already had a bad feeling.
"This area has never flooded before, but yesterday the tide, combined with the overflowing river, caused a flash flood that submerged the drain.
"Though I am devastated by my granddaughter's passing, I accept it. The day before the incident, she had shown signs of a change in behaviour, refusing to eat and remaining silent,” he said.
Meanwhile, the victim’s mother, Siti Nurfarhana, said that she had been asleep in the house, located about 30 metres from the drain when the incident occurred.
"At first, I thought my daughter had gone to her grandmother’s house, which is not far from the scene. My eldest, who is three years old, was inside the house with me at that time.
"I began to feel uneasy, so I contacted my father before going out to search for my daughter,” she said.
Siti added that shortly after, the villagers informed her that her youngest child of two siblings had been found in the drain, which was then filled with overflow from the river.
The child’s body was sent to the Forensic Department of HSB for further action and expected to be buried at the Al Irfan Mosque Islamic Cemetery in Derga, Jalan Langgar, Kedah, on Friday afternoon.